FAQ

OMG Certified Expert in BPM™ 2 (OCEB™ 2) FAQs

THE PROGRAM:

Credentials are important in the BPM world, where practitioners may work on many projects for different clients or employers over time. The experts from top BPM companies and well-known independent consultants who designed the OCEB and OCEB 2 topical coverage and wrote the exam questions want peers and prospective employers to feel confident about a certified candidate’s ability to participate in or lead real-world initiatives in enterprise BPM. Your status as an OCEB 2 Certified Professional shows current and future employers or clients that you have the required up-to-date knowledge and skills, making you a more attractive candidate for hiring and promotion.

Because the OCEB 2 Program is an objective, validated measurement of a candidate’s knowledge and skills in the way BPM is used in today's complex distributed business environment. The examinations, designed and written by experts from top BPM companies and well-known independent consultants and trainers, cover the BPM domain with the breadth and depth that will let peers and prospective employers feel confident about a certified candidate’s ability to participate in or lead real-world initiatives in enterprise BPM. For a general view of the topics covered by all five exams. For links to specific lists of topics for each exam, click through to the Coverage Maps.

OCEB 2 is OMG's updated certification program for BPM practitioners. OCEB 2 coverage concentrates on BPMN 2, but extends through OMG's additional business specifications (BMM, DMM, BPMM) to current versions of industry frameworks and regulations. Three OCEB 2 exams are being produced, and will replace the corresponding original (and now obsolete) BPMN 1.x-based OCEB exams: Fundamental, and Business Intermediate and Technical Intermediate. Because the OCEB 2 program tests up-to-date OMG specifications and industry and GRC frameworks, supervisors and hiring managers will know that the holder of an OCEB 2 Certification has kept his or her BPM knowledge and skills current, and is prepared for assignments working with the complex distributed processes encountered in today's business environment.

When you pass the OCEB 2 Fundamental examination, you become certified at OCEB 2 Fundamental Level. This is also the prerequisite for the two OCEB 2 Intermediate levels - Business and Technical. You cannot mix programs at the Intermediate level: In order to become an OCEB 2-Certified Business Intermediate, you must pass the OCEB 2 Fundamental exam and the OCEB 2 Business Intermediate exam. Similarly, certification as an OCEB 2 Technical Intermediate requires passing the OCEB 2 Fundamental in addition to the forthcoming OCEB 2 Technical Intermediate exam.

Yes, of course you should! You are still certified in BPMN 1.x, but this specification is now obsolete - replaced by BPMN 2. To bring your credentials up-to-date and so keep up with industry expectations, you need to take and pass the OCEB 2 Fundamental exam and, for most candidates, the OCEB 2 Business Intermediate (available now) or Technical Intermediate (coming soon) exams.

The first three OCEB exams - Fundamental, and the two Intermediates - cover BPMN in detail and so are being updated to test BPMN 2, OMG's updated version of the specification. The transition started with the publishing of the OCEB 2 Fundamental exam in mid-November 2013 and Business Intermediate in mid-November 2014, and continues with the release of the OCEB 2 Technical Intermediate exam in early or mid 2018. The original OCEB Fundamental and Business Intermediate exams have been withdrawn and are no longer available for registration or testing.

The Technical Intermediate level will transition to OCEB 2 early or mid 2018. If you've been planning to upgrade to Technical Intermediate during this interim period, you can go ahead - everyone who pays for and takes this original OCEB Intermediate exam during the transition period starting 1 November 2013 may apply to OMG for a voucher to take the OCEB 2 Technical Intermediate exam for free. Vouchers will expire one year after the OCEB 2 Technical Intermediate exam becomes available. Because the OCEB 2 Fundamental certification is prerequisite, candidates will also need to pass the OCEB 2 Fundamental exam in order to receive either Intermediate certification.

OMG recommends that you start with the OCEB 2 Fundamental exam. Most important - It's prerequisite for certification at Intermediate and Advanced levels in both tracks. In addition, if this is your first OCEB experience, your certificate will demonstrate that your skills, knowledge, and even your point of view are up-to-date. If you're already OCEB certified, you'll recognize that an up-to-date certification will better demonstrate that your skills and knowledge cover today's complex distributed business process environment.

If your career is following the Business path then, of course, you should take the OCEB 2 Business Intermediate exam next.

However - If you've studied and are ready to take the Technical Intermediate level OCEB 2 exam now, you may not want to wait and don't have to: Go ahead and take the original OCEB Technical Intermediate exam that you prepared for. When the corresponding OCEB 2 Technical Intermediate exam is ready during early 2018, you'll be able to apply to OMG for a voucher to take it for free. (This applies only to those who pay for and take an Intermediate OCEB exam after 1 November 2013. Vouchers will expire one year after the OCEB 2 Technical Intermediate exam becomes available.) Note that the prerequisite for OCEB 2 Intermediate certification is OCEB 2 Fundamental certification - Your original OCEB Fundamental cert is not enough. While you wait for the OCEB 2 Technical Intermediate exam to show up, study and upgrade your Fundamental certification to OCEB 2.

The books are listed in the References on the Coverage Map, specifically detailed for each Exam level. If you already own a different book that covers these topics, you may decide to study from it instead of buying a new one.

PREPARING FOR THE EXAMS

No training is required, and you do not have to take or complete any training course before you take an OMG Certification Exam. Of course, we strongly advise that you prepare for the Exam by studying the subjects listed in the coverage map - the books or subject-matter equivalent, plus the freely-downloadable OMG specifications and other papers and framework documents - , and have a good general knowledge of Business Process Management. And, training courses and material prepared specifically for the OCEB 2 examinations are available - more about this two questions down this page, including a link.

Yes! Several of the Subject-Matter Experts who wrote the exam questions, and others, have written books and prepared courses that prepare you for the OCEB 2 examinations. We have listed these training companies and related materials on this Study Materials page.

The minimum passing score for each OCEB 2 exam is displayed on its individual web information page. Once you have completed an exam online at a Pearson VUE Testing Center, your score and pass/fail result will automatically be displayed on the screen. You will also receive a printed copy of the score report, including a breakdown of your performance by section, before you leave the testing center. We do not release information on pass rates.

TAKING THE EXAMS

These are computer-based tests, which you take on a computer at a test center. On the day of the test you go to the center, present two forms of identification, and sign in. You will be escorted to a quiet room with one or more testing stations. You won't be allowed to bring anything into the room with you but your wits and (for some exams) a wipe-off note board. You'll sign on to the computer and the test will begin. You will be required to complete an agreement promising not to reveal the contents of the test. The questions themselves are variations of multiple choice formats. The Exams last 90 minutes.

You should arrive at the testing center at least 30 minutes before the test is scheduled to begin. During that time you will provide (2) two proper identifications and the test center administrator will give you a short orientation and then escort you to a workstation. If you do not provide appropriate identification, you will not be allowed to test for security reasons. Late arrivals will not be admitted.

Yes. When you sit down to take an Exam at the test center, you will be asked to agree to keep the contents of the Exam confidential and to accept some terms and conditions relating to the Exam and your certification. You will not be allowed to take the Exam if you do not agree to these requirements.

You can review the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) here. You can review the Candidate Agreement here.

Yes: As you take the exam, you may either mark questions that you feel are too difficult, or just skip them, to go back to after you reach the end. After you finish the last question, you will see a review screen that lets you jump back to any questions that you want to review. On the review screen, different symbols will identify questions that you marked, and questions that you skipped. Both marked and unmarked questions will be scored when you finally submit your exam. Unanswered questions will be scored as incorrect.

The Exams are not scored negatively - that is, no points are deducted for incorrect answers. This means that you can safely - and should - guess an answer to every question that you don't know. It is best to check if you have actually answered ALL questions before completing the exam (and the Review Screen makes this easy). If you are running short on time, just click any answer and move on. This way, you will at least have a chance to get some of them right.

Yes. Candidates with documented visual, physical, hearing, or learning disabilities, which would prevent them from taking an examination under standard conditions, may request special testing accommodations and arrangements. Please contact Pearson VUE directly.

As soon as you have completed your exam at a Pearson VUE Testing Center, your score will automatically be displayed on the screen. You will also receive a printed copy of the score report, including a breakdown of your performance by section, before you leave. This information is transmitted to OMG for our records. If you passed the exam you just took, and any prerequisites, you will receive your Certificate in the mail within about one month of taking the Exam.

THE EXAMS

As shown on this diagram, the OCEB 2 Certification Program includes five exams and certifications – the OCEB 2 Fundamental exam, and above it, a Business Track and a Technical Track, each with an Intermediate and an Advanced exam and certification. The Fundamental and two Intermediate levels are being upgraded to OCEB 2, but the two Advanced levels will remain the same.

Starting with the OCEB 2 Fundamental is recommended, because passing it is a prerequisite to getting certified at the OCEB 2 Intermediate and Advanced levels. Within each track - Business and Technical - certifying at its Intermediate level (that is, passing both the Fundamental and that track's Intermediate examinations) is required to certify at its Advanced level. So, the two questions are - How high should I go, and Which track - Business, Technical, or both? That will depend on the job title that you have, or want, and the skill set that you have, or are learning. Look here for a functional description of the skills that each level of certification indicates.

No, it is not required that you take the exams in order. However, you won't receive an OCEB 2 certification until you've passed all of the prerequisite exams required for its track and level. You can not mix programs, either: Only the OCEB 2 Fundamental certification, and not the original OCEB - will serve as the prerequisite for either of the OCEB 2 Intermediate level certifications.

In the United States, the cost to take an OCEB 2 examination is US$200; in many countries where English is not the first language, the testing time will be a half-hour longer and the price will be US$10 more (that is, US$210 or the approximate equivalent in local currency. Currency conversion does not track short-term fluctuations). You have to pay each time you take an examination, even if you're taking an examination over because you failed the first time. Payment is by major credit card. For exact pricing in your country, please look on the Pearson VUE test site.

Yes! OMG offers pre-paid Certification Examination voucher bundles at discounts
starting at 5% and ranging all the way up to 20%, depending on how many
vouchers you buy. Each voucher lets you take any one of OMG's exams. Vouchers
are non-refundable and expire one year from date of purchase. Discount is
applied to the price in your country. Minimum purchase for the 5% discount is
10 vouchers. These 5% vouchers may be purchased from the Pearson VUE voucher
store through this link: www.vue.com/vouchers/pricelist/omg.asp.

You can receive a substantially larger discount by purchasing a larger number of
vouchers directly from OMG:

All of the Exams are in English. A Japanese version of the OCEB 2 Fundamental exam will be available soon in Japan. (The original OCEB exams are already available in Japanese from UTI.) In non-English-speaking countries, the time allowed to take the examination in English will be a half-hour longer; see two questions down.

In English-speaking countries, 90 minutes. When an English-language Exam is delivered in a non-English speaking country, the test time will be 120 minutes and the price higher by US$10; check with your testing center to be sure.

You can no longer register or take the original OCEB Fundamental or Business Intermediate exams. These original OCEB examinations certified in BPMN 1.x, the now-obsolete specification that was replaced by BPMN 2. OMG is pleased to offer the OCEB 2 Fundamental and Business Intermediate exams and certify candidates in the current version of the BPMN specification. An updated version of the OCEB Technical Intermediate exams will be published in mid 2015. See the first section of this FAQ for details.

The answer to this question has two parts: First, as OMG promised originally, Yes, your certification is still valid - the certificate shows no expiration date, and your certification will appear on the OMG Certified Professionals Directory if you opt in. The Second part of the answer, however, is this: Your original OCEB certification covers BPMN 1.x, an obsolete version of the BPMN specification. Only an OCEB 2 Certification will demonstrate that your BPM knowledge and skills are up-to-date. That's why OMG produced the OCEB 2 program, and why we encourage everyone to upgrade their certifications.

REGISTERING FOR AND SCHEDULING YOUR EXAM

ATTENTION:OMG is not
responsible for the scheduling or rescheduling of exams, or for exam
refunds. These matters must be facilitated through our testing partner
Pearson VUE. Furthermore, OMG strongly stresses the importance of carefully
reviewing your confirmation letter sent by Pearson VUE upon scheduling an
exam - Check especially that you have scheduled for the exam and level that
you intend. Any discrepancies should be brought to the attention of Pearson VUE
immediately.

To create a free Pearson VUE Web Account: On the sign-in page that appears when you click on any function
that requires an account, click on the link labeled "create a new
web account" and follow the instructions that appear.

The Exams are available worldwide, exclusively at Pearson VUE Testing Centers. There are thousands of centers in over a hundred countries around the world. You can locate a test center by going to the OMG registration page at Pearson VUE, http://www.pearsonvue.com/omg , and clicking on Locate a Test Center. You will also be able to search for and choose a test center as part of your registration process.

You will schedule your Exam as part of the registration process. The Pearson VUE registration website will display available days and times for each testing center that you view on the web page, allowing you to select the appointment that best fits your schedule.

AFTER YOU TAKE AN EXAM

In most cases, you will receive your score report immediately after the test is completed. At the same time, you will receive some diagnostic information, to show you how strong you were in various areas.

First, Congratulations! You will have received your score at the test center immediately after you finished your Exam. If you have passed all of the exams required for a certification level, we will send you (by mail) a certification kit, usually within one month after you pass the Exam. The kit will include a letter explaining the certification, the actual certificate (suitable for framing) and instructions for downloading the OCEB 2 logo for the level of Certification that you have passed.

If you fail an Exam, you can retake it after a minimum of 30 days, but you cannot take a particular Exam more than three times in a twelve-month period. There is no discount price for re-taking an Exam. The fee is the same as for the initial Exam.
The diagnostic feedback that you will receive with the test score report will indicate the areas that need further study.

Candidates who qualify for OCEB 2 certification may use the OCEB 2 Certification Logo for their level (Fundamental, Business or Technical Intermediate, or Business or Technical Advanced) as a graphic symbol to demonstrate to clients their skill and knowledge in BPM. Please follow these guidelines to correctly promote your relationship with OMG and protect the integrity of the Logo.

While your OCEB 2 Certification remains valid (see below), you may use the Logo on your business cards, letterhead stationery, resume, Web site, and marketing materials for individual service, to indicate that you have earned a credential in the OCEB 2 Program. If you write a book or course and your name appears as author (or a co-author), the logo may appear associated with your name; not in a way that associates it with the work as a whole. The logo may not appear on any other type of product or other material. You may not use it for any purpose other than to designate your OCEB 2 certification credential.

OMG will re-issue a lost certification kit for a fee calculated based on your location and shipping costs, that must be paid before we ship. Please send an email to certificationinfo@omg.org with the following:

full name

current address

candidate ID number

Once we've determined shipping costs, we'll reply with an invoice and as soon as payment is received your kit will be shipped.

You should receive your certification kit within one month of passing an Exam although shipment to some locations remote from our fulfillment service in the US may take a bit longer. If you have not received your kit within this period, please contact OMG by email at certificationinfo@omg.org.

Yes, it does. Each OCEB 2 Certification expires 5 years from the date that you pass your exam, and this expiration is printed on your certificate and recorded in our Certified Professionals Directory.

However, any time-limited OMG certification can be renewed or extended during its term by passing the exam for either that same certification or the next certification level higher in its program for which the original is prerequisite. Any certification extended or upgraded in this way will remain valid for its full five-year term even though its lower-level prerequisites expire sooner.

For a detailed explanation of how this affects prerequisites (consistent with this policy), see the next question:

To become certified at an Intermediate or Advanced level, you must pass the exam for that level before your next-lower level (i.e. prerequisite) certification expires at the end of its five-year term. The Intermediate certification (e.g.) that you attain in this way will remain valid for a full five years even though your prerequisite Fundamental certification will expire sometime during that term. During the full five years after the date you passed your Intermediate examination, you will be listed in OMG's Certified Professionals Directory at Intermediate Level, and may use that status as the prerequisite for Advanced Level certification.

Because the OCEB 2 certification hierarchy splits into two tracks above Fundamental, the following situation may arise: Suppose you passed Fundamental and then, a few years later, passed the exam for and certified as OCEB 2 Business Intermediate. Then, another few years later, your fundamental cert expires but you're still certified as Business Intermediate (as we asserted above), but now you want to add certification as Technical Intermediate - Do you still fulfill the prerequisite requirement for this other track?

You'll be pleased to hear that the answer to that question is Yes, you do - Even though your Fundamental certification has technically expired, since it is serving as prerequisite for your (continuously maintained) Business Intermediate (or Advanced) certification, it can serve as prerequisite for certifications on the Technical side as well.

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